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GoCozumel Vacation Rentals and Villas
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GoCozumel Monthly Newsletter, March 2008
The other side of the
island
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On a recent Saturday when good friends were here for the day, we drove around the island to the other side. It’s always fun to see the eastern side of the island.
It is completely different than the western side where the town is.
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The eastern side of the island does not have
electricity, and there are some quiet beaches and some beach clubs. We
recommend you only swim at the beach club areas on the eastern side of
the island because it can be dangerous for swimming due to the very
strong undertow.
I do have some favorite places on the other side including Coconuts, Chen Rio and Playa Bonita, but there is also a really unusual rock formation at Mirador and we stopped
that day to take photographs.
On the left you can see the hole in the rock formation at Mirador, and the photo on
the right was taken just seconds later when the waves hit. |
Last minute vacation rental specials
Now and then there are some last minute specials to Cozumel that airlines offer and at times you can match that up with a last minute special for accommodations. There is currently a special between April 7 and May 3,
2008 for dates still available for a 1 bedroom with a pool and garden for up to 2 guests.
See the special page at http://www.gocozumel.com/specials.htm
for details. |
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Renting a vehicle and driving on Cozumel
There are many rental companies on Cozumel, including companies like
Hertz and Avis as well as local companies. When renting a car or jeep,
is it necessary to buy the insurance? Some have told me that their credit card pays for car
insurance when they rent a car. We urge you to check and make sure that is
the case if you are in Mexico. We have been told that most U.S. insurance companies do not make direct payment for damages outside the country.
We understand that by Mexican law, if your rental vehicle is lost or damaged, you will be required to make full payment of all expenses involved before you leave Cozumel. If you refuse the local insurance coverage, your costs will have to be paid out of pocket before you can leave. The rental company (rentadora) will supply you with the necessary reports for you to recover payment from your insurance company when you get home.
The same applies to medical treatment. Some of the local policies
may include medical coverage but be sure to find out the limits & which clinic accepts their direct payment, or you will still be required to pay out of pocket & recover from the local insurance company later. Coverage & deductibles vary with each rental company so read your policy carefully to see if theft, as well as accident, is covered. For example, scooters typically are not covered for theft or damage. Also, be sure to take note of what voids your coverage (e.g. leaving a paved road or drinking alcohol).
Driving on Cozumel
Scooters are dangerous. There are serious injuries and fatalities far too often. There is now a VERY strictly enforced helmet law on Cozumel, and police will confiscate a scooter if any rider is not wearing a helmet that is fastened. Even if you are experienced driving a scooter or motorcycle it is safer to rent a car. If you do decide to rent a scooter, PLEASE make sure all riders wear helmets and that they are fastened.
The vast majority of accidents are caused when someone does not yield at a corner. A simple rule of thumb is this: If you are in town, driving on a Calle (i.e. a street running east or west - perpendicular to the ocean) , you DO NOT have right of way. You MUST yield at each corner to the vehicles traveling on the Avenidas (i.e. a street running north or south - parallel to the ocean) even if you do not see a stop sign.
In Cozumel, some people drive fast including some on scooters, so wait until you are sure that you will be able to clear the intersection before proceeding.
Parking
Areas where you can not park a vehicle include those where the curb is marked in red (no stopping) & yellow curbs (short stopping only). In the streets right around the downtown area you will see areas where you can pull in to let off or pick up people. These ARE NOT areas where you can park, and the police
can either take the license plate off the car or they may tow the car away. Either way, there is a fine and it’s not worth the risk.
If you see a sign that has a capital letter “E” with a diagonal line through it means no parking as the word for parking in Spanish begins with the letter “E”.
There are a number of small parking lots scattered all over the downtown area. They normally do have signs that say “Parking”. In general, the cost is from 8 to 10 pesos an hour (from 80 cents to 1 dollar an hour) and it’s well worth it. |
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Reduced price on a home for sale
Now reduced to only $135,000, a 2 bedroom 2 ½ bath Cozumel home with a beautiful garden. Someone
is going to grab this one quickly. You can see this home and others featured on GoCozumel at
http://www.gocozumel.com/real-estate.htm
The featured homes and the apartment complex are advertised by the owners, and you can contact the owners directly with questions about their
property |
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Bowling |
There is a modern bowling center on Cozumel, and it’s located on the corner of Calle 13 and Ave. 5. There are different specials each day, so we stopped and got a list of them.
The prices we are listing are in pesos and the exchange rate is close to 10 pesos per U.S. dollar.
Regular price is 45 pesos per game.
Shoe rental is 20 pesos |
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Monday special – bowling is 150 pesos per hour
Tuesday – 30 pesos a game
Wednesday – 3 games for half price (67.50 pesos for 3 games)
Thursday – 2 for 1 special
Friday 50% discount for students
Saturday – Green Pin Strike Special – Get a strike on a green pin in #1 place and
receive a free game coupon
Sunday - 20 pesos per game and 10 peso nachos, soft drinks, hot dogs and popcorn |
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Also at the bowling center there is free wireless internet connection and a full snack bar.
Open 11am to 12 midnight Sunday-Thursday
11am to 1am Friday and Saturday
There are group discounts and Party specials.
You can call the Bowling Center at 878-4321 |
| EXCHANGE RATE
During March the exchange rate that we saw at the money exchanges and the banks when changing dollars into pesos on Cozumel varied from
10.2 to 10.3 pesos to the U.S. dollar.
Gracias y hasta luego,
Kathy at GoCozumel.com
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